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Louisiana's 'Raise the Age' law takes effect, 17-year-olds to be tried as juveniles

Beginning this month 17-year-olds arrested for nonviolent crimes are being seen as juveniles in the eyes of Louisiana's justice system.

A 2016 law, often referred to as the Raise the Age Louisiana Act, went into effect March 1. This is the first phase, with the second to come in 2020 for violent offenses.

The bill was part of a package of juvenile justice reforms and raised the age for teenagers prosecuted as adults in Louisiana.

"People understand it's the right direction for the state to move and that Juvenile Justice is the more appropriate system for minors," Rachel Gassert, policy director at the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights, said in an interview.

The benefits, she said, are many. Trying 17-year-olds as juveniles keeps them safer while incarcerated, placing them within a population of peers rather than adults.

It also protects their futures, because they don't leave the system with a permanent criminal record that impacts them when applying for jobs and higher education, she said.

"Raise the Age is going to help young people succeed, keep the communities safer and save money on incarceration," Gassert said.

In 2016, Louisiana spent $732.4 million incarcerating adult and youth offenders, including $108,788,843 in state funds for 6,321 juvenile offenders. That figure included those in community-based programs and on probation or parole.

Removing 17-year-olds from adult jails would protect sheriffs from the costs and liability associated with housing youth and adults together.

It can be expensive to house youth and adult offenders in adult correctional facilities, as federal law requires complete "sight and sound" separation between the two groups. Not all facilities are equipped for that and sometimes require construction to comply.

Juvenile offenders also receive specific resources through the Office of Juvenile Justice. Together all of this can lead to a lower rate of recidivism, or re-offending, proponents argue.

"When we give young people the tools they need to get on the right track, they won’t come back into the system as adults," Mike Neustrom, who supported the bill in 2016 as Lafayette Parish Sheriff, said in a release. "That means less crime — and less money spent combating it — for years to come."

Such programming is one reason the 2016 law is just now taking effect.

"The Office of Juvenile Justice has done a lot," she said, like adjusting programs to reach older kids and focus on teaching adult life skills.

Along with adding programs, OJJ has hired more staff and reduced the number of youth in its secure facilities by 44 percent, Director James Bueche said in a release.

"Not only does this increase our capacity to serve 17-year-olds, it also improves services for all the youth in our care," he said.